Fervor, Mei Sanguis
by Milbunk
Summary: Kayneth El-Melloi Archibald decides to enter the 4th Holy Grail War. He consider it as just a contest to prove his nobility, but will things be as easy as they seem?


Disclaimer: This is a work of fanfiction and I do not own anything from Type-Moon. All characters and settings here belong to Type-Moon and Nasu.

The only sounds that echoed in the elaborately decorated office were the monotonous ticking of the clock and the rustling of papers. As the man sat alone in his desk, quietly reading through the papers while also carrying about a bored expression.

"Heaven's Feel…"

A smirk crept up the man's face as he read through the papers yet again, stopping only momentarily to take a sip of the bitter black tea that sat near him.

It was a war between mythical legends for the chance to be granted the greatest prize: a wish. An opportunity for a person to receive their deepest desires. A test of skill, of prowess, and of nobility.

He had no interest in wishes; he already had everything he could ever want. He had power, fame, success, heritage, nobility, and perhaps most important of all: a fiancé.

Yet, an opportunity like this did not come around often, and he couldn't help but express a vague interest in the war.

Once more he glanced at the scorch marks that marred his door, his smirk quickly faded into something far angrier as a hint of fury fell across his face. Finding the one who was careless enough to lose his possessions was easy enough, yet locating the thief himself was an endeavor, a sorry mistake, that he has paid for thrice over.

Investigations had been launched, questions asked, lectures cancelled, all for the sake of one foolish man, one man who dared to stand against him.

"Velvet…"

He recalled the momentary lapse of judgement as the bolt of lightning flew towards the poor delivery man's panicked body, only to miss by mere inches, blasting the door in his stead.

Nearly wetting himself in fear, the delivery man bolted from the room. But thinking of past events would be of no to help in a desolate place like this. Now he needed to decide once and for all whether or not to truly dedicate himself to this cause.

"Professor Archibald!"

There was a knock at the door, the darkness from Kayneth's angry eyes disappeared in a flash as he returned to his more natural stature.

"Come in."

A different figure entered this time, his clothes were disheveled and displaced, arranged in a strange fashion like a mouse in fox fur, from running all the way there. He carried with him a small package held tight in his arms.

"We've found it!"

The man held out the package for Kayneth to see, holding back his excitement he merely glanced at the man before signalling for him to set the package on his desk before him.

"That will be all then."

With a wave of his hand he dismissed the man, who while showing obvious signs of disappointment, could only bring himself to mutter a pardon as he quickly left the room once more, leaving Kayneth alone with the man's newfound discovery.

Carefully, he untied the strings and began to unwrap the precious paper that preserved the contents inside. What he discovered was exactly what he expected, it was nothing more than a small shard of pulsing yellow metal.

The shard was a piece of the magical sword Moralltach. With this newfound catalyst, his decision became clear as day. There was no longer any turning back. He would enter this Holy Grail War, just to prove that he and he alone was fit to rule.

'My victory is all but assured, I shall crush this pathetic competition beneath my boot. I will throw the unworthy aside and put down that foolish peasant of a student. For I am Kayneth El-Melloi Archibald, and I will go down in legend as one of the greatest magi to ever live!

**Fervor, Mei Sanguis (A Kayneth Story)**

'Attention passengers, our flight will be ending shortly. Please stay seated while the plane lands.'

'Wha!?' Kayneth was not the kind of person suited to long distance travel. Rather he preferred to stay in the comfort of his lecture hall, with his students fixed on his every word. or in his laboratory, enhancing his magical talents. So when he awoke with a start due crackling sound of the speaker and the message from the flight attendant, he couldn't help but be surprised and a bit annoyed. Taking a quick glance out the small airplane window he got a glimpse of the many skyscrapers that dotted the city of Fuyuki in contrast to the smaller residential areas that surrounded them. The plane continued its descent towards Fuyuki occasionally rumbling and shaking from the outside elements, but eventually it landed safely on the ground.

He took a glance towards the red haired lady sitting next to him in the first class seats. She was busy flipping through a shopping catalog muttering to herself how "mundane" or "unprofessional" most of the clothing looked with an air of pretentiousness about her. Her attention toward the enormous shopping book was so focused that Kayneth wasn't even sure she had even noticed his stares. Perhaps it was best he turned away and focused on something else lest his imagination run a bit too much.

A flight from London all the way to Fuyuki took a rather long time. As such, when the plane finished landing procedures even Kayneth was glad to step out of his chair and stretch for just a second, before he was rudely shoved by the lady behind him.

"We don't have all day you know."

Perhaps she was just grumpy from the tiring flight. With that judgement in his mind, he did his best to ignore her comment. He followed the rest of the passengers as they made their way out of the cramped plane and into the terminal before them.

As he followed behind the lady he couldn't help but reminisce about the events that led him here. When he had announced his final decision to enter into the Grail War she was the first to hear about it. But if there was one thing he had learnt from his time as her fiance it was that once Sola-Ui Nuada-Re Sophia-Ri had made up her mind there was no changing it, and no amount of begging or pleading would make her say otherwise. Thus, with a heavy heart but a plan unfolding before him did Kayneth make the journey, this time making sure to keep his catalyst safe on his person at all times. He didn't dare take a second chance and risk losing another one.

As the two made their way through the bustling terminal, a few people dared to glance at his personage, but they all quickly averted their gazes the instant they felt the intense aura of nobility surrounding the two.

"Hmph, peasants…"

Though they were from out of the country their arrangements were all prepared for them, allowing them to skip most of the hustle and bustle the rest of the passengers had to go through. All he needed to do was show a simple ID and the man before him took care of the rest rushing them straight through the chaos.

"You there! Grab our bags and make it quick!"

She snapped at one of the two chauffeurs who had been following them on their journey. Though the man was even larger than Kayneth he couldn't help but shirk back at the extreme response Sola gave. With a small confirmation he rushed off to find the luggage silently praying in his head that there were no mistakes in the transfer.

The other chauffeur relaxed when the focus was turned away from him, yet that was soon gone as his hopes were dashed and the fiery women faced him next.

"Well? What are you doing standing around? Are you going to show us to our transportation or not!?"

Kayneth was impressed by how she managed to maintain such a vicegrip command on those peasants. It was their right after all to be treated as such, yet perhaps she was a bit too forceful in her methodology. Peasants, even ones such as these, needed to be treated well lest they attempted to retaliate.

"O-of course m-ma'am."

Not bothering to wait for the luggage they made their way through the lobby and out the front doors where they found a long black limousine growling next to the curb ready to take them to their intended destination.

The chauffeur who'd led them there relaxed as he saw that there were no complications in their travel plans. 'Just a little more.' He silently thought to himself as he opened the doors allowing the two nobles to climb inside.

They entered the vehicle and with a brief nod and shout the driver at the front confirmed their location for them. The Hyatt Hotel, a gorgeous building and one that Kayneth had spared no expense on using to his every benefit. With the entire top half of the building under his complete control he could use it however he wanted.

After their bags had been loaded, the car quickly pulled away leaving the two chauffeurs behind and giving the couple some time to themselves. However they were far different from any ordinary couple.

Though he was still fatigued from the flight he couldn't help but give off a small smirk even as he glanced at his fiance.

"My dear, the preparations are all but complete. We need only to finish the final ones ourselves and the war will be on its way."

On the other hand Sola looked as bored as ever. Ignoring Kayneth's attempts at small talk and only managing to utter a small "Of course." she glanced out of the windows with a long dejected sigh.

Perhaps the trip was harder on her then he had thought? That was the only conclusion Kayneth could reach. Out of concern for her well being he decided it was best to speak up yet again.

"My dear, is something bothering you? You seem to be bothered by something. If there's anything wrong, or anything I can do to help, please tell me."

Still not even bothering to turn and face him, she gave a short reply.

"No... Nothing is wrong, I'm just a little tired from the long trip, that's all."

Her mind seemed to be set in its place, and there was nothing Kayneth could think of to improve the situation. Perhaps it was best to wait until after they arrived.

With these thoughts in his head the car continued to make its way towards their hotel in silence. Kayneth buzzed with excitement, anticipating the events in the future battles ahead, while Sola found herself feeling nothing at all.

After some time had passed, the limousine pulled up to the curb right in front of an enormous building. This would become their residence and base of operations for the next few weeks.

The driver quickly exited the car and opened the door, allowing the two to step out onto the sidewalk. With perfect timing a nearby bellhop who'd been waiting for them quickly followed the driver to get their luggage.

It seemed as if everything was beginning to move along smoothly. Without stopping to check on the men, Kayneth and Sola made their way into the hotel lobby where yet another clerk stood by waiting to greet them.

After a quick confirmation of their identity and arrival, they made their way towards a VIP elevator and quickly stepped inside. The bellhop who had finally gathered the last of their luggage made a movement to follow them, but after a steely eyed glaze from Sola quickly changed his direction and headed towards the more crowded public elevators nearby.

Their destination was at the very top of the forty second floor, though nearly half the floors below them had also been cleared of people. Those floors would become the foundation for his fortress. For now they headed toward their main living arrangements.

They made the journey in silence, with Kayneth unable to think of anything to say. Sola continued to do her best to ignore him, only staring at the doors ahead.

Finally they arrived, with a single chime signalling their stop. The doors opened and they came face to face with the ornately decorated hallway that led them to their temporary home.

The bellhop was not far behind as a second elevator opened up alongside theirs. He quickly stepped out, his cart packed to the brim with bags upon bags. He led the way for them, skillfully opening the door while also dragging the cart along with him.

Once they made their way inside, Kayneth immediately began to look around. In his head he began planning just where his equipment would go. This was in addition to the boxes upon boxes of packed equipment that was already safely stashed in the room.

When the bellhop had finished his job he turned to face his employers, yet Sola only had harsh comments for his reward.

"A passable job, we have no need for any further assistance. You may leave now."

With a disappointed nod he quickly left the room empty handed, finally leaving the two of them alone.

When he was finished with his quick examination of the place Kayneth once more turned towards Sola, his excitement reaching its fullest capacity he spoke once more.

"This place seems suitable enough, perfectly fitting for ones such as ourselves. But I can't help but notice that you've seemed so tired during this long journey. Therefore I ask, my dear, why don't you rest until the evening? Leave the initial preparations to me."

Sola could only shrug in bitter approval as she disappeared into a different bedroom than his own. With this she made it perfectly clear that they would both be sleeping in different rooms. Though he felt a tinge of disappointment, Kayneth knew that this was for the best. They were only engaged after all; perhaps it was just a little too soon to think of such things.

After the door closed, Kayneth was left to himself in the large open living room. Though he was a bit tired from the journey there was still much to do and about only a week left to do it. So, with high spirits he set to work. A small tinge of regret lingered in the back of his head about the minor mistakes he had made up until this point.

The loss of his original catalyst, no matter how much he tried to put that thought to rest, continued to haunt him. That small reddish patch of cloth, for causing him so much trouble up until now, he would make sure his pupil was taught a painful lesson.

It was only thanks to the vast web of associates and other magi with a taste for artifacts that he was able to acquire a second catalyst so quickly. Once more he felt the small package contained inside his coat pocket alongside various other pieces of equipment.

"Waver Velvet... I shall teach him the error of his ways. Oh yes, by this war's end, I will show him what happens to someone who dares cross an Archibald. But, enough of that…"

He glanced at the cluttered room yet again. Along the walls were various crates and other containers all shipped beforehand and made just for him. If anyone else had tried to open them not only would he instantly be alerted due to a small sigil placed inside each and every box, but said person would also be in for a very unpleasant shock.

Walking over to the nearest crate he held his gloved hand out and muttered the pass phrase meant to deactivate the trap inside. With a small click he unhooked the pin keeping the container shut before opening it, revealing the well kept devices inside.

This particular crate happened to hold various liquids of different colors and compositions. They were useful for creating different types of potions and for enchanting items.

Setting that particular crate aside he moved on to the next one and slowly began to get to work on creating the finest magical lair this city had ever seen, and with only seven days to do so.

Eventually the fruits of his labors were beginning to be made clear. The rows of boxes were unpacked and laid out onto various tables surrounding the room. It was beginning to more closely resemble his laboratory back in England. And seeing as how he still had a few hours before night fell Kayneth decided that now was a good time to focus on something else.

He wasn't the only one entering into this war after all. From what he remembered there would be six other participants. The three families that were the main focus would almost assuredly be taking part yet again, so that left three completely unknown factors. All of this combined could put him in a dangerous situation if he was not careful. As a man of knowledge, he needed to look into any and all possible outcomes..

Finishing the construction of his base could wait just a little longer. For now it was time to delve deeper into the minds of his foes. With this plan now in his head he decided it best to call in a little outside help. Taking a small silver vial from within a coat pocket he poured the liquid onto the ground while simultaneously uttering an incantation.

"_Automatoportum communicet: manibus spiritualis evocationis remedio, nine caput, Kayneth Archibald El-Melloi."_

The circuits in his arms began to glow with a soft yellow light as the liquid hit the ground. The liquid transformed into a sphere with the size and shape of a crystal ball. It then rose up into the air directly in front of Kayneth. Holding one of his open palms towards the ball while also holding his other hand at his mouth, he began to speak.

"_Nuntius satus: Information request, Heavens Feel; Fuyuki Japan, 1800 to 1994: nuntium ad finem."_

It was a request for information in regards to the Grail War and its participants both old and current. 'That should suffice for now.'

Satisfied that he had requested enough information he allowed the sphere to move towards a nearby table where a thick stack of paper was located. Once the ball had reached its destination it completely covered the papers and began to imprint words upon words on them. This was a method of long distance communication specific to Kayneth's own talents. With it he could receive and give messages to anyone he needed to communicate with.

It would take time to get all the information 'printed' out. As such, Kayneth went into the kitchen and began to brew one of his favorite brews of tea.

The sun began to fall as night came forth through the large windows. The request for information was reaching its completion, though Kayneth couldn't help but be disappointed with the results. There was almost nothing new from what he had already previously known about the war. The details on how a Servant is summoned, the War between Masters and Servants, the three families, they were all things of which he had been aware. There was almost no documentation on the wars themselves..

If anything, the only new information he was able to gain was about the few Masters that could already be confirmed. Though the names were familiar he would have to take a more in depth look at the papers later and perhaps contact more people for more information regarding them and their talents.

It had also just occurred to him that Sola was still hiding out in her room. Perhaps a good night's sleep really was what she needed. For now at least he would not disturb her.

Kayneth worked quickly with his various tools and contacts over the next few days. When Sola finally emerged from her room, Kayneth also made sure to quickly set her to work on constructing the tools and other mechanisms that would cover every inch of these top floors.

He made sure she knew what she was doing by sharing with her some blueprints as well as directly showing her whenever he had the time. Though she remained rather snarky throughout the days she obeyed with little trouble and as such after three days had passed Kayneth could once more sit down to analyze all of the new data he had collected.

Though it was still lacking, there was a lot more to go through than on the first day. Finding exactly just who to talk to was quite a challenge even for Kayneth, but he believed that he had finally gained an acceptable amount of information.

Taking a seat in one of the more comfortable chairs he took a sip out of his freshly brewed tea allowing the bitterness to flow through his mouth.

"I'll be gone for a while, I'm going shopping."

With most of her tasks finished for the day, Sola excused herself from the room allowing Kayneth to read in peace.

Most of what he saw were again things he already knew, he knew that no Grail had ever been wished upon, due to unforeseen complications. The war before this, the third, seemed to have been particularly messy with, Einzbern taking on more than they could chew. Though the exact results of this were unclear, it was something that was definitely worth remembering.

What allowed this ritual to function properly were multiple factors, the Greater and Lesser Grails, and the ley lines that stretched throughout the city almost like a giant spiderweb. The Greater Grail, the main device that performed most of the complex work that no Master could accomplish, had to lie near one of these ley lines. The Lesser Grail was produced by the Einzbern every war. After all the Servants were defeated, one could use this Lesser Grail to grant them any one wish they desire. A simple enough concept but Kayneth doubted it would be so easy. And those leylines, perhaps they could be of some use.

As for the current participants, he knew of five out of six, Tokiomi Tohsaka, Zouken Matou, Kiritsugu Emiya; these were the three main factors he needed to watch out for. They were most certainly entering in some fashion as representatives of the three main families.

Zouken in particular seemed to be the most worthy of the three as there had been reports of him in almost every single war. His family almost bore as much fame as the Archibald name yet it was such a shame that he relocated to such a backwater country.

Tokiomi was the second largest threat, from what Kayneth could gather he seemed to be the embodiment of a perfect magus. He always kept to the book, and despite his Japanese lineage had manage to make quite a name for himself. Definitely an exciting foe to match.

And then there was Kiritsugu, the magus killer. A gun for hire with no real lineage to call his own. Why the Einzbern hired him was anyone's guess. Perhaps they had finally gone mad from failure after failure to reclaim their lost Third Magic. He was of no interest to anyone and would be an easy foe. However if the reports were true, a second homunculus related to the Einzbern might also appear, that would be far more interesting than anything this Kiritsugu could show off. That was certain. Yet, he would need to be watched as it was said that he preferred to rely on non magical technology.

That left three others, Kirei Kotomine, Waver Velvet, and the unknown factor who would most likely appear just to fill that last slot.

Kirei Kotomine, a man who just recently entered the realm of magical study yet if the reports were true his talents were immense even with no history to his name. Not to mention being trained under Tokiomi. Though they recently had a falling out, which seemed almost too good to be true. Kayneth considered him the third greatest threat to this war.

And Waver… Waver Velvet, a former pupil under Kayneth and a thief of his artifact. Nothing more than a thief and a liar, He was definitely the weakest Master in this war, even despite the high-quality catalyst he had plundered. That one, who managed to in so many battles despite the odds was probably not one to be controlled easily. Waver's Servant would most likely destroy him before anything else did.

There was also the unknown factor, a wasted slot that needed to be filled as per the quota. It was probably nothing to worry about.

These were the participants for the war. Quite an interesting batch, yet nothing out of Kayneth's control. One by one he'd weaken them until they were no more. Then his victory would be certain!

Over the next five days Kayneth continued his work perfecting the defenses surrounding him. And then, on the fifth night, seven days after he had arrived, the time was finally nearing. As night fell upon the city once more, he carefully began to lay the summoning circle out before him using a concentrated batch of magical mercury. As he drew, he went through a series of mental checks making sure to keep track of all the results of his hard work.

He had spent far too much time on information gathering, because of this an array of equipment lay in the corner of the room still boxed and untouched as neither Kayneth or Sola had the time to reach it. Yet the multiple bounded fields reached straight down for another twenty three floors. They included different effects such as detection and mental boundaries meant to confuse the mind and throw them into disarray. There we also other bounded fields though they lay dormant for the time being, only to be activated in a time of crises.

Twelve floors down a grand steel engine roared with life as it constantly produced the magical energy needed to maintain such an enormous fortress, along with that were ten demonic spirits summoned over the last few days, they wandered the empty hallways and awaited their master's call. Should he ever need help with anything, he need only call and they would answer.

Along with these, were layer upon layer of traps, each deadlier than the last. Should anyone dare attempt a raid on his fortress they would meet the full force of his contraptions.

Yet this was not all that Kayneth had produced. Next to the summoning circle, a strange metal apparatus stood unmoving but released trace amounts of magical energy through the roof and into the sky above.

This device created recently by Kayneth tapped into the very leylines that surrounded the city and stayed on constantly. Whenever a large amount of magical energy that required prana from the outside air was used this device would trigger keeping a record of that spell and giving an estimate towards the the spell's location. This meant that if someone were to summon a Servant, for instance, then Kayneth would be able to record and react to the summoning before the Master would even get a chance to move.

"Are you finished yet? Surely this ritual isn't that hard to reproduce."

"Please be patient just a little longer, I am nearly done."

Sola who was standing in a corner of the room was beginning to get impatient . Though this was just the least of her constantly sour mood. Finally, he stood back and began to admire his work, the complex circle glowed in silver, not a single mark was out of place, it was time to begin.

"Well then?"

"Yes, it is done. If you would be so kind, could you stand there, my dear?"

Pointing towards his side Sola hesitantly walked up to him and stood there, being careful not to get too close.

Normally a Servant is limited to one Master who held both the Command Seals and the supply of magical energy, but Kayneth a prodigy in the field of magical summoning had noticed a loophole of sorts in the chant.

During set points in the ritual optional words could be added to it, normally this allowed a Master to specify whether or not they wished to summon an Assassin or a Berserker but in Kayneth's case he found a far more interesting use for it which he was about to demonstrate.

"_Set. Set. Set. Set."_

Taking his ungloved hand he held it out so that his palm faced the magical circle. A bruise could be clearly seen forming on his hand.

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_"Let thy body rest under my dominion, let my fate rest in thy blade."_

With his other hand he took hold of Sola's stiffened hand. Though she was clearly uncomfortable with the situation she tolerated it for the moment.

_"If thou submitteth to the call of the Holy Grail, and if thou wilt obey this mind, this reason, then thou shalt respond."_

The circle began to glow even brighter than before, the magical energy within it sparked as a connection began to form with something.

"_I make my oath here. I am that person who is to become the virtue of all Heaven. I am that person who is covered with the evil of all Hades."_

Now was the time to add the extra lines, as Kayneth glanced at the small piece of metal laying in the center of the circle. With just this tiny catalyst a being from another realm, something far stronger than any modern human being could be summoned, and with Kayneth's supreme skill he would bind it to his every whim.

"_Sto ad infinitum ab auxilio aetatis."_

The tug of magical energy that was beginning to fill his body vanished. In its place the grip on his fiances hand tightened as she began to take on the entire strain. The entire room began to rumble as the ritual reached its apex.

"_Thou seven heavens, clad in a trinity of words, come past they restraining rings, and be thou the hands that protect the balance!"_

His entire vision was filled with white as the ritual completed. Yet that light quickly vanished and in its place stood a man in the center of the circle. His eyes glowed a gentle yellow with a small strand of hair falling over his face. He was undoubtable beautiful even in Kayneth's eyes.

"In accordance with the summons, I have come. I ask of thee, are you my Master?"


End file.
